Christmas Morning

There's no better word for Christmas this year for Juliana than SPOILED! She was showered with presents from everyone and we are grateful for such wonderful family and friends in our life. Christmas morning was a lot of fun now that Juliana is interested in Santa. She came downstairs and was excited to see all the presents Santa had brought.
The family at the tree

My mom had stayed over Christmas eve, so she also got to give Juliana all her gifts Christmas morning...

Such a happy girl!

One of her many gifts, a Rapunzel wig that makes me realize I could never be a blond!

It was a wonderful holiday, went by way too fast though. God bless everyone!

Merry Christmas!

Juliana meets Santa!

On Saturday, we went to a Christmas party and this was no ordinary party, Santa visited! He was a good looking Santa and played the role so well. Juliana was very interested in everything he had to say and say along with all his songs! The whole group with Santa... Part of Santa's duties was to give out presents to all the children, so Juliana waited patiently until the second to last gift came out of Santa's sack and she got to sit on his lap. When he asked what she wanted for Christmas, she said, "My mommy told me to ask for a castle!" This was news to me, because I had no idea she wanted a castle, so I guess I'll be working on that!
Big hug for Santa...
Opening her gifts with daddy, some new books!

This year has been so much fun teaching Juliana about Jesus' birthday, the Nativity, and all of the other additional parts like Santa, his elves and the North Pole. She's very excited for his visit and all those presents!

Juliana's First Haircut

I know I've been on hiatus the last few weeks, but I had lost our camera and to me, it seemed silly to post without pictures! But Alas we decided to buy ourselves a new camera for our Christmas gift and I have been loving it! Just in time too, for Juliana's first haircut. She was really scared the last few times we told her that this would be happening, but this morning Jacob had the perfect words to take away her fear. We went to Snip Its, which does haircuts for only kids and Juliana amazed us!

TO get her comfortable in the chair, the hairdresser blew bubbles for Juliana and then handed them off to Jacob to continue while she wet Juliana's hair.
She was so well behaved and didn't move at all so the hairdresser could get her job done!

Smiling at her daddy...

Once again, Juliana impressed us with her good behavior and patience. She did have a minor meltdown on the way out because she wanted to play with all the toys, but we had a party to go to!

Simply beautiful

New Title, New Path

Well, we're no longer "On The Move," (for now) but we're still "On The Case!" I feel like life is just as exciting as it was in Singapore, but for different reasons. We are rediscovering ourselves as Americans again and adjusting back to a vastly different society. Singapore is a much more relaxed society, less obsessed with material things (except for technology!) and American is centered around the saying, "The more you have, the more you're worth." It's always a matter of having the newest technology, the prettiest house, the best furniture, the shiniest car, etc. etc. Really, like is not about "stuff" and in many ways, it took our time as expats to learn the truth of this statement. We have been cleaning out all of the stuff from our storage unit and amazed at what we were able to donate, throw away or what was truly worth keeping. Simplicity is the way to live your life so that you can focus on what really matters - family, friends, faith.

On that note, I wanted to share this inspirational list written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio. After living so many years, she figure out what life was really all about.

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written. -Regina Brett

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come...
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."
    

My baby's three!

It's so hard to believe that my little girl turned three today! She's growing up so fast. She had her checkup and she's in the 95 percentile for her height! She's talking a lot which means Jacob and I have to be extremely careful what we say and how we say things because she copies everything we say and do. She's going to school three days a week and making new friends. I can't believe how fast it's all happening and I'm so grateful for a smart, beautiful, healthy little girl who adores us!

For her birthday, my mom had a small party at her house for family and a couple friends. Juliana opened up her clothes from Nana and Nanny first before everyone showed up... Tea party with all the stuffed animals...

Opening her presents... Today, Juliana got to celebrate her birthday twice. First, we had lunch with Nana and Nanny...

Scary smile!

Cuddling up with Nana...

After being shy when the staff sang her Happy Birthday, she blew out her candles and the three of us ate the cake!

Then tonight when Jacob got home, we had a frosted chocolate donut for her after dinner, which she thoroughly enjoyed!

God truly blessed us. We adore this precious little girl... Happy THIRD birthday my beautiful little girl!

Another award!

Thank you fellow blogger, Jill for this wondrful award!

To all my friends and family

I got this from a good friend and had fun figuring it out, so I wanted to share with all of my friends and family. I hope you enjoy it too :-)
On a side note: although it's rather simple, I got this as a recent review for my blog, yay!

God's Hug

Lord, you lift me up,
You raise me to a place
I never knew existed,
Of peace and serenity.
You gather me up
Inside your loving arms
And hold me close
Out of harm’s way.
Your eyes never leave mine,
Your touch never cools
And your strength
Never weakens.
This moment,
Right now,
Makes me feel ashamed
Of all the times I doubted you.
I feel sad that I questioned
Your guidance
And became angry at you
When things didn’t go my way.
I’m guilty of lying,
Of sinning of my own fault
And I ask you now
For forgiveness.
I know from your smile
That you see past the sins
And focus on my loving heart
My kind nature.
Before you go, God,
Will you hug me just once more?

More Fall Fun

We went to a Halloween party yesterday and Juliana got to dress up again! She's so proud of her Alice in Wonderland costumer...

Busted out the sweater because it was cold! She loved riding on this horse, but no ideas because we have no place to put one!

Decorating pumpkins...

Happy girl :-)

We've been trying to get her to stop sucking her fingers and it's not an easy task. Her solution- cover her face and maybe we won't notice!!!

Parenthood

Parents

Here’s to the joy of being a parent,
Of watching our children grow,
Learning all about the world
And growing up before we know it.

Here’s to the ups and downs
Of dealing with a toddler,
It’s the best of times
And the worst of times.

Here’s to the little kisses they give,
Their warm hugs,
The conversations that don’t always make sense,
And the endless questions.

Here’s to the tea parties,
The dollhouses and books,
That brings us back to our childhood
And make us feel young again.

Here’s to the blessings they bring us,
The responsibility of raising them
And teaching them what they need to know,
Before they’re too old to need us.

Here’s to being a parent,
The most important job in the world,
The greatest gift God can give us,
To watch our precious angels grow.

Cutie patutie!

Just some cute pictures to share! Wearing Nanny's glasses...
Wearing ALL of her necklaces, bracelets and rings!

Pumpkin carving

One of the things we had missed about New England while we living in Singapore was the change of seasons. Fall has always been my favorite season, with the foliage, cooler weather, apple picking, apple cider and pumpkins. I especially missed how the holiday season feels more real - there's something about hot and humid weather that takes away from Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Yesterday, we headed up to my mom's for dinner and she had bought two pumpkins with Juliana. Jacob got the task of carving them and Juliana paid attention for all of ten minutes! She did help a little with digging out the seeds though and loved the pumpkins after they were done. Since I haven't found my camera yet, I took these pictures with my phone and they came our bright and blurry, but it's all I've got!

It's been a while...

I haven't been getting around to blogging as much as I used to. I guess since we're not living in Singapore, I feel like I don't have as much to say- but really, it's all the same except back in the US!!

We finally moved into "permanent housing" after I spent July at my mom's with Juliana and then the three of us spent August and September in a hotel for a week then a temporary apartment up until our move the third week of September. We're renting for now, to see how we like living in Massachusetts- it's a nice townhouse in Malden, much different than the top two floors of a high rise! For one thing, we don't have people living above and below us, only next to us. It's also nice and quiet at night time since we're in a condo complex off a side road. You wouldn't know we lived in a city, which is great.

Juliana started classes at the Little Gym and it's just the same as it was in Singapore except a different group dynamic. She still impresses me with how adventurous and strong she is, especially on the bars! She has an amazing grip for a little girl and I love going to the classes with her and watching her on the beam and bars. Reminds me of my days as a gymnast :-) We're thinking of enrolling her in dance classes after the holidays since she loves to dance and enjoys copying Angelina Ballerina. She's even taking up prancing around on her toes!

Another new addition to Juliana's life has been preschool three days a week. Day one, I cried, because even though she's been asking to go to school for a while now, she had a rough time being dropped off the first two weeks and although this week was much better, she still got upset when I was on my way out the door. One saving grace is that she has found a favorite teacher, so when we show up, she goes from hugging me to walking over to her with her arms up waiting to be picked up. I hope another week or two will help her adjust to being at school, because it breaks my heart to see her sad when I have to turn around and leave :-(

Other than the move, Jacob's new job and the new additions to Juliana's life, it's been good to be back. I continue to miss a few things about Singapore, but we've been able to spend time with family and friends which is what we missed most about being so far. It's going to be especially nice to see them all for the upcoming holidays, especially for Juliana.

I will try to keep this updated since it's also like a journal for our life and add more pictures as soon as I figure out where the camera disappeared to - Juliana will be three soon, so I better find it before her birthday!

It's that time of year

Even after over a year and a half in Singapore, I never got used to the humidity. I did, however, enjoy the fact that there was only one wardrobe all year long and that jackets weren't needed. We've only just begun to have some cooler days here in the U.S., but I'm already dreading the cold weather. It means snow will be coming, jackets, hats and gloves will be needed and a whole different wardrobe. I am enjoying the fact that I get to see the seasons change though, because it helps pass the time and fall has always been my favorite with the beautiful foliage and cool, but not cold weather.

Some of the best things about fall besides the foliage are pumpkins and apples. We did get to go apple picking during our visit home in October 2009, but it was different this year knowing we live here. Juliana had a blast of course... She picks them, but she won't eat them!
I can't wait to take her to pick out pumpkins and maybe we'll even get around to carving one this year!!

On a side note, I have been missing some of the things I took for granted in Singapore, such as the pool and playgrounds, the parks, our helper (of course- that extra set of hands was helpful and I loved having another adult around to keep me company- you are missed Jean!), not needing a car and being able to walk to the mall and grocery store within 10 minutes. I also miss being able to throw on shorts and a tank every day, without worrying about whether or not I'll be cold. It's amazing, because I didn't realize just how much these things meant to me while I was there, but now I do. It's time to get ready for more changes though, one of which is being able to experience the holiday season back at home with family and friends.

Happy Fall everyone!

Update and BCM

In case you wanted to know, here's the update! Things are good, but we are still in temporary housing in Cambridge MA while searching for our newest home. I admit that looking for a home this time around isn't all that exciting after moving 5 times in the last 5 years that we've been married. It's also much more difficult this time around with Juliana, so thankfully my mom has been able to watch her the last 2 times we've gone searching. We've narrowed it down a bit to a townhouse, not an apartment and we're trying to live close to the T or bus so Jacob has a good commute to work.

Other than housing, things are good and it's been nice to be back in the U.S. Just yesterday, my mom and grandmother came down and we took Juliana to the Children's Museum here in Boston!
She had a good time and enjoyed the bubble room... As well as many other adventures there!

Playing music with Nana...

Had to get this picture for her daddy in the hard hat inside the Construction Zone!

She even got to sit in a Bobcat...

I do feel bad for Juliana, because I think all of the recent changes have been hard for her. She's pretty resilient, but she was sick last week and took days to recover. Now that she's healthy again, she's back to challenging all authority and seeing just how far she can push her limits. Needless to say, it hasn't been easy. I feel like I spend most of my day saying "No" and "Don't do that." It's exhausting!

I'll keep you all posted once we find a place to move!!